Mos Def is an American rapper, actor, and activist from Brooklyn, New York. He is well known for his socially conscious lyrics and his work in the hip hop genre. Mos Def has released four solo albums and has collaborated with other artists, including Talib Kweli, for their album Black Star.
What is the most famous quote by Mos Def ?
I dreamt that I could paint you with words, but there were no colors bright enough, black or white enough, blue or green enough...they didn't mean enough
— Mos Def
What can you learn from Mos Def (Life Lessons)
- Mos Def's music has taught us the importance of staying true to yourself and your values, no matter what the cost.
- He has shown us the power of using art as a platform to speak out against injustice and inequality.
- Mos Def's work has also highlighted the importance of collaboration and community, as he has worked with many different artists to create music that speaks to the struggles of the African-American community.
The most almighty Mos Def quotes that will transform you to a better person
Following is a list of the best quotes, including various Mos Def inspirational quotes, and other famous sayings by Mos Def.
Make today's solid ground out of yesterday's quicksand.
Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can't articulate.
They say that when a man faces his destiny, the destiny ends and he becomes the man that he really is.
That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn't be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.
You want to know how to rhyme, then learn how to add. It's mathematics.
We can be beautiful and feel beautiful about who we are everyday.
I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift.
Don't look down, it's an impossible view; Fly like an eagle whatever you do.
Soulful quotes by Mos Def
Restlessness is my nemesis. It's hard to just chill and sit still.
I ain't no perfect man I'm tryna do the best that I can with what it is I have.
Breathe in...inhale vapors from bright stars that shine, Breathe out...weed smoke retrace the skyline.
Focused. I'm a hustler. And my hustle is trying to figure out the best ways to do what I like without having to do much else.
And from the moment that I saw you, I knew you was trouble, But I disregarded detour signs, And did not stop til you was mine. I guess God was like, 'Aight, fine.' Careful what you wish for, cause you just might get it in heaps. Try to give it back, He be like, 'Nah, that's yours to keep.'
All the things that are worth doing, take time.
I'm not shy about heated debate or passionate discourse, but when people get crazy or rude, that's a buzz kill. There's got to be a better code of conduct, some basic etiquette.
Yo, it's 1 universal law but 2 sides to every story, 3 strikes and you be in for life, mandatory. 4 MC's murdered in the last 4 years, I ain't tryin to be the 5th one, the Millennium is here. Yo, it's 6 million ways to die, from the 7 deadly thrills, 8-year olds gettin' found with 9 mill's. It's 10 P.M., where your seeds at? What's the deal?
Quotations by Mos Def that are innovative and diverse
Young bloods can't spell but they could rock you in PlayStation...
It wouldn't be fair to cast aspersions on an entire cultural movement based on the actions of a few. To quote my grandfather, 'One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch.'
It's possible and available to any artist to be himself or herself on their own terms, to be accepted and embraced by black people. You don't have to be a thug to get love from black people.
You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions.
The test in life nowadays is just trying to keep yourself charged up with enough good feeling. It's like, "OK what am I going to do to feel really good today?" Not like, some chick or a drink.
Beef is not what Jay said to Nas; Beef is when the working folks can't find jobs.
There are a lot of people who call themselves teachers or leaders, but they're really just propagandists.
Crack mothers, crack babies and AIDS patients Youngbloods can't spell, but they could rock you in PlayStation.
I'm blacked than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle
Everything's got space between it, the planets, trees, your eyes.
Your eyes get too close together, it's a whole different world. You can lose perspective.
The new moon rode high in the crown of the metropolis. Shinin', like "Who on top of this?
What I take from writers I like is their economy - the ability to use language to very effective ends. The ability to have somebody read something and see it, or for somebody to paint an entire landscape of visual imagery with just sheets of words - that's magical.
I have no confidence issues with the impact or the quality of the music.
No one in hip-hop, before this point and to this point, with all due respect, has done this.
So rather than really have, like a close relationship to anything that's coming out today, people are just, they've got it on as background music. It's kind of the same way the cabdrivers use music; it's very disposable. But, that doesn't mean there aren't a great number of artists who are doing things to change that.
Why do I need I.D. to get I.D.? If I had I.D. I wouldn't need I.D.
Fame is like getting across the street.
It's like, if there's nothing to be across the street for, it's a pointless destination.
I'm trying to get low. People's personalities can get in the way of their own work.
That's what I've been trying to strive for - to draw a clear picture, to open up a new dimension.
I was taught when there's somethin' you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin' to complain about.
I don't hate nobody. I hate certain conditions that are inflicted upon the people - and they're helpless with it.
African art is functional, it serves a purpose.
It's not a dormant. It's not a means to collect the largest cheering section. It should be healing, a source a joy. Spreading positive vibrations.
To me, playing an instrument and singing, all of these different things are just as natural to me as rhyming.
My presence speaks volumes before I say a word.
What I take from writers I like is their economy - the ability to use language to very effective ends.
I'm doing exactly what I was supposed to do. Yeah. I didn't exactly choose this. My own life, if it were up to me, would be very, very quiet. I'd be like a shopkeeper, a book collector, or something like that. I'm not like this. Myself as a performer and an artist is totally different from who I am.
I think hip-hop is actually one of the most challenging things that's happened in music in a long time. The people who are in charge of what people see or hear are afraid. What you hear on top 40 or what you see on BET or MTV is not a fair representation of what is really going on...
I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. It's machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different.
I just don't think it's very dignified to ask people to like you. You can just wind up being somebody's ottoman.
I guess something that you love to do, you gotta ease up off it and give it a little space, come back and be fresh to it.
Man, I smashed her like an Idaho Potato
Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years it's a name that the streets taught me a figure of speech that was given to me by the culture and by my environment and I feel I've done quite a bit with that name and it's time to expand and move on.
Twitter freaks me out. You have followers? It feels so obsessive and proprietary.
I have mad brims.